Trudging through the Darkness and into the Light
by Dot-co.Uke
Summary: Okay, I don't do Authors notes so it's all story. Prussia has recently been freed from Russia and Austria has to and willing picks up the pieces. Hurt/comfort and romance fic. M for later chapters, but fluff will be a common thing in every chapter. R&R 3


Trudging through the mud, a weary albino wandered up to a house and quietly knocked on the door. His eyes were tired, his hair was a mess and he was badly bruised, some parts of his body still spilled blood.

After the wall had been broken down, the Prussian had limped from Russia's grasp as fast as possible, so he would go home and see his brother, after missing him for so many years.

Roderich was playing his Piano, a piece from Beethoven to be exact, as he heard a knock. It really isn't a massive shock that he wasn't overly pleased. After a deep sigh and a small cough, Austria himself got up to open the door. As he opened it, he automatically said '' Look, I don't care what you're selling I don't wa-" Upon seeing a weak and beaten Prussia in front of him, the brunette stood there, frozen, with his mouth agape in shock.

The silverette stared up at him and smiled weakly, not very surprised at his reaction. Not very many people or people wanted to see him before he was sent to Russia, so he didn't expect Austria to want to see him now." I-I'm not trying to sell anything, you're n-not awesome enough for the things I could have t-" He was cut off as he broke into a coughing fit, but felt the need to finish his semi-insult. " I-I could have to offer..." His scarlet eyes flickered up to meet Austria's wide, violet gaze; before he slipped into darkness.

A few hours later, Gilbert was lying on the brunette's bed. It was a king size, covered in plush velvet scatter cushions and dark purple silk sheets, maybe the 'priss' had started to spend a little more. How had this happened? How had he become so weak? Not even Austria, one of the weakest yet smart countries, believed that Russia could break the albino, but here was evidence that he indeed, could.

'At least he still believes that he's awesome, that is something I suppose.' Roderich thought, slipping into a melancholic mood, as he placed a cool towel over his head, after tending to Gil's injuries. A scar on his cheek, bruises round his neck, body littered with past smaller scars and a large, thick and brutal scar going right through his tattoo of the Prussian eagle on the back of his left shoulder blade. As the purple, red and black marks suggested, Russia most definitely wasn't gentle with Gilbert, the more mature nation noted.

As his forehead suddenly got colder and wet, Gilbert's eyes blinked open. He closed them again when the light shone into them, complaining about the light.

" O-Oh.. Why won't the light just shut out..."

Hearing Prussia's whining and taking it as a request, the noble gentleman shut the curtains and turned off a few lights, before sitting back down next to the wounded one. After wondering for a few hours, why he was still so beat up, Roderich finally decided to ask some questions.

"Why are you still so beaten, when you have just been freed from Russia's grip? Surely your wounds should be healed by now?"

He came off as not really interested and very stern, but little did anyone but the Austrian know, he was actually very worried for what was once Prussia, however annoying he was, they had still formed a bond and he was doing everything he could not to break down in tears at the sight of his friend this way.

As his sleep ridden eyes fully opened, the now awakened ex-nation looked up at him.

"Someone didn't want to let me go I guess...His hands were clasped around my neck, but I fought him so... so awesomely! This made him let go, so I ran here."

A small smirk was on his face, and he reached up to roderich's cheek, pulling his face close to his own. Trying to make his old friend, or rather debating partner, feel a little more comfortable, he said;

"Don't worry, he hasn't broken me."

As much as the Austrian wanted to believe those words, the deadened look in Prussia's eyes said it all. He was lying, he'd been broken time and again and poor old Roddy didn't know what to do to fix it. He wasn't a loving man, he wasn't sweet, and he didn't know what he could do to make this better.

" I will take care of you, and when we have you healed , you may go and see Elizabeta, Antonio and Francis. Ludwig is at Feliciano's house for a while, he didn't say when he would be returning. I'm sorry that you are stuck here with me, but I do not want you over-exerting yourself."

Austria nodded as he said this, he probably wasn't Gilbert's first choice of people to be stuck with and realising this hurt him. It hurt him a lot more than he thought it would, but then again, it is very easy for one to mistake love for loathing.

It was evening before Prussia said anything else to Austria, it wasn't that he didn't want to talk, he just... he couldn't figure out what to say. After years of bullying the guy, he still wanted to take care of him now? Did that mean he missed him? Does he like him? These were the thoughts rushing through Gil's head all day, and he tried to make sense of his own feelings. After being with Russia for so long, he was very confused.

" Roderich, why are you doing this? I'm totally fine by myself, you should know that! I am awesome, the awesome one, even!" His wounds ached and he rested his head on the table he was sat at. He wanted to cry, something he had been banned from and punished for, for so many years. He had lost count of the number of times he was hit for crying, or even whimpering as he was raped and tortured by the demented Ruski. He wanted to cry, this was the main point, but having Roderich there meant that he didn't want to. His weakness wasn't allowed to be shown anymore, a promise he had made to himself. Ivan had seen every amount of weakness he had and he was sick of being punished for it. He wouldn't cry in front of Roderich, he just wouldn't.

As the brunette looked up, his mouth open with an answer, Gilbert stood up.

" I'm going to bed, I guess the guest bedroom has been made up for me, D-Yes?" He caught himself before he spoke the Russian's language and Austria visibly shuddered. Muttering an apology, the albino walked upstairs and went to bed, where he could do as he wanted before the daylight came.


End file.
